The SSU and the National Police have uncovered six channels for the illegal sale of captured weapons in regions across Ukraine
The Security Service of Ukraine, in collaboration with the National Police, has shut down six channels involved in the illegal sale of captured weapons and ammunition across various regions of the country.
Following a series of comprehensive operations, law enforcement officers arrested the organisers of the schemes and seized a significant arsenal of weapons. Among the items seized were Kalashnikov assault rifles, including Russian AK-12s, 130 anti-tank grenade launchers, over 380 combat grenades and nearly 20,000 rounds of ammunition of various calibres.
In the Kyiv and Donetsk regions, four serving and former military personnel were detained. According to the investigation, they were secretly transporting weapons from combat zones in eastern Ukraine for subsequent sale. One of the suspects was detained in the Kyiv region whilst attempting to sell a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a grenade launcher. Three others were detained in Kramatorsk.
In the Khmelnytskyi region, a former serviceman has been charged with the alleged intention of selling weapons taken from the front line after his discharge from service. During searches, law enforcement officers discovered hiding places he had set up on his own property and at his parents’ home. From there, they seized an AKS-74 assault rifle, 16 combat grenades, 74 TNT blocks, 1.2 kilograms of gunpowder and over three thousand rounds of ammunition.
In the Kirovohrad region, a man was exposed who, according to the investigation, had recruited acquaintances from various regions to sell grenades and two Kalashnikov assault rifles, including an AK-12 with ammunition. He was detained whilst attempting to sell a consignment of weapons and ammunition.
In Bukovina, law enforcement officers detained another suspect. Investigators believe that whilst serving in the combat zone, he amassed an arsenal of RGO and F-1 grenades for subsequent sale. To conceal the shipment to customers, the grenades were disguised amongst food items in postal parcels.
In Kharkiv, a 16-year-old boy was charged after being arrested whilst selling a Russian Kalashnikov assault rifle with four loaded magazines and three live grenades.
In Zaporizhzhia, a man was exposed who, according to law enforcement, was seeking buyers among members of the criminal underworld to sell 150 hand-held fragmentation grenades, which had been taken from the combat zone in the south.
All those detained have been charged under the article on the unlawful handling of weapons, ammunition or explosive substances, committed by a group of persons acting in concert.
If found guilty, they face up to seven years’ imprisonment.
